I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
When God first called Jeremiah, Jeremiah protested that he was too young to be a prophet. God’s answer was that He had put words in Jeremiah’s mouth that Jeremiah must speak. Among those words was the message that the armies of the kingdoms of the north were going to attack Jerusalem. Jeremiah spoke out against a people who lived in a land of plenty, yet turned away from the Lord. People who only turned to the Lord in times of trouble and then only to call on Him for help. Those whose job it was to teach God’s word ignored Him. How often we are like the Israelites whom Jeremiah was preaching to, in that we run after material things rather than doing God’s will. Too often we make deals that seem pragmatic rather than focusing on what is the will of God. All too often as we plan our ministries and services our first question is, “What works best?” When our first question should be, “What is God’s plan for this?”
Paul calls on two women who had worked with him in spreading the Gospel to settle their differences, to stop feuding with one another. This is a lesson to us that when we have disagreements with our fellow believers we should work to resolve them and put aside any bitterness toward them. We should rejoice in the Lord all of the time. We should have a gentle, considerate spirit because God is near to us. We should not worry about anything. Instead we should present our needs, wants and fears to God, being thankful in the knowledge that He will address those issues for us. If we take such an approach, God will give us peace in our innermost being. We should focus our attention on things that have positive merit (true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy) rather than spending time thinking about things that are negative. All too often we spend time concerned about what has gone wrong rather than thinking about all that has gone right. Finally Paul shares that he has learned to be content in whatever situation he finds himself in, something we should strive to emulate.
God will bring justice against the wicked in His time. Those who defy God will suffer. We should not boast in our pride because God alone will judge the wicked. Instead, we should praise God for His great acts.
We should not take pleasure in the suffering of others, even if they are our enemies. We should empathize with those who suffer, regardless of their past. We should not let the actions of the wicked worry us or work us up, nor should we envy them their success. It will be short-lived and God will bring judgement upon them.